Process of making secondary-battery plates.



J. E. FREDERIGKSON. PROCESS OF MAKING SEOONDAEY BATTERY PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.'21, 1909 Patented June 6, 1911.

- spread over the JOHN E. FREDIRICKBON, 0 REVERE, HASBACHUBET'IQ.

raoonss or name SECONDARY-BATTERY ran-ms.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J line 6, 1911.

Application filed January 21, 1908. Serial No. 473,495.

cially b preventing the formation or deposit 0 lead sulfate thereon or therein which formation or deposit, as =1s "well known, materially interferes with the roper chemical action of the electrodes an often causes buckling or breakage thereof; also,'t0 provide electrodes having a relatively large capacity or amperage when charged.

It is a further object of my invention "to provide electrodes in which the active material is of a relatively hard, tenacious substance-which in the operation of the battery 'will not separate or become disassociated from the electrodes.

, In the drawings I have shown a form of electrode like that I prefer to employ in practicing my invention, the electrode hav- 1n the form of a plate which is only par tia 1y coated in order to show its ribbed body construction.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents a grid or support b'earingactive material 2 grid in and between the interstices thereof.

tion may be regarded as either'the positive or negative plate inasmuch as their physipal characteristics are very much alike.

The. ositive plate is made as follows I take ead tetroxid or red lead and add to it a solution of soda ash (sodium carbonate) and water to form a thick paste. In making this paste I prefer that the solution of soda ash and water have a specific gravity -,of

I about 1125. This paste is then spread u on alkali-proof the grid and let dry for about an hour w en the paste will have considerable inherent cohesiveness of substance. A grid made of any suitable material may be used, such lead having in it agsmall quantity of antimony. I then preferably give to the surface of the plate a, coating of some quick-d ing,

paint for the purpose of umv tives.

ing a skin or casing for assisting in the retention of the paste and 'ving a chance for the formation of peroxi when the plate is immersed in a solution of soda ash and water and a current of" electricity a'ssed through the same as will hereinafter ex plained. In connection with'the quick-drymg paint I would further explain that while the' paint has nothing to do with the result ant plate or plates as such, et'it expedites the process'of forming the p ates which is a material consideration, the advantage of using the paint residing in the fact one does nothave to wait for the plates to become dry or partially dry before placing them in the solution. A coat of this paint acts as a retaining shell and enables one to put the plates in the solution right away or as soon as-the paint has dried, the paintmaking a thin'skin-coating over the lplates, Apart from being a. qumk-dryingmaintthe paint should also havesuflicierit pprosit A when dry asto enable the-solution ectric current to have access to the paste, at the same time keeping the'past'e from disinte receptacle in which the plates are placed.

In practice. I have used an asphalt paint, 'meaning a benzin.

aint composed of as halt and T is I have found to e an exceedingly good paint for the required purpose. Up to this point the negative plate is pre ared in precisely the same way only I pre or to employ lead monoxid or litharge mixed with a so ution of sodium carbonate and water to form the thick paste placed upon the grid. After the two plates have The plate shown for purposes of illustrabeen repared as aforesaid I immerse them both in a solution of sodium carbonate and water having preferably a specific gravity of about 1125. In lacin the plates in this solution the ositive a'n negative lates are ting and falling to the bottom of the ho der or preferably a ternately arranged, al the neg ative plates being connected and all the posi- The plates so immersed are then charged by a current of electricity for about 40 hours when the lates are-ready for use to form abattery. urin the charging of the plates the positive p ate becomes the more highly oxidized in lead peroxid and the negative plate changed to a metallic or s ongy lea This action tends alsoto har en the plates.

In forming the battery the plates are im- -mersed in a solution of sulfuric acid and water and immediately charged for a period of about 8 hours when the positive plate will be more highly oxidized into lead oxid and the character of the negative late will become further changed into metal ic spongy lean. In connection with this further charging of the plates I would sa that unless the plates are immediately 0 arged when immersed in the diluted sulfuric acid, sulfate of lead is apt to form in and upon the positive plate and the acid may .tend to disintegrate the negative plate. By immeditely charging the plates when immersed these objectionable features are entirely eliminated. Upon the dischar e of the hattery the lates are recharged w on immersed in the di uted sulfuric acid; in other words, when the plates are recharged, they are not first immersed in the soda ash and water solution.

Electrodes formed according to the above described process have been found to be exceedingly efiicient, the positive electrode being highly peroxidizedand the metallic spongy lead of the negative electrode being very porous presentin a large surface to be acted upon b the lectrol te. In other words, both elec rodes are of arge ca acity and are capable of supplyin an excee ingly high amperage of current or a long time.. The electrodes will not crack, expand, crumble or sulfate. In fact, sulfate will not form in or upon the electrodes on which account the electrodes may be used for many years. A further advantage resides in the fact that the active material in electrodes is very hard in substance and in fact needs no auxiliary support, which tends to the longevity of the electrodes. I prefer, however, to sup port the active material on grids to prevent accidental breakage of the electrodes by handling. 1

secondary or storage batteries which consists in mixing an oxid of lead with a solution of sodium carbonate into paste applyin said paste to electrodes, placing the e cctroi les in a sodium carbonate solution and passing a current of electricity through them until the electrodes are formed. Y

- 2. The process of preparing electrodes for secondary or storage batteries which consists in mixing an oxi of lead with a sodium carbonate solution to form a paste, applying said paste to electrodes an cover ng the paste so applied with a skin coating of some quick-dry ng, alkali-proof material and then placing the electrodes in a sodium carbonate solution and passing a current of electricity throu the 3. he process of preparing positive electrodes for secondary or storage batteries which consists in mixing tetroxid of lead with a sodium carbonate solution to form a paste, applyin said paste to electrodes, pleamg the electr es in a sodium carbonate bath and passing a current of-clectricity through them.

4. The process of forming negative elec-. trades for secondary or storage batteries which consists in mixing monoxid of lead with a sodium carbonate solution to form a paste applying said paste to electrodes,placmg the electrodes in a vsodium carbonate sollltlOIL and passing a current of electricity through them.

JOHN E. FREDERICKSQET. Witnesses:

JOH E. R. Ham's,

M. E. Fuumm 

